Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are semiconductor devices that convert electrical energy into optical energy and are formed of compound semiconductors that are able to emit light having a certain wavelength according to energy bandgaps thereof. The applications of LEDs range from display devices, such as optical communications and mobile display devices, computer monitors and backlight units for liquid crystal displays (LCDs), to general illumination apparatuses.
In a well-known method, conventional light emitting devices have been manufactured by applying a mixture of phosphor particles and transparent resin to LED chips or surrounding areas thereof to allow white light to be emitted. In this case, an amount of phosphor particles to be transmitted according to an optical path of light is altered, thereby causing a change in color characteristics (e.g., color temperature and the like) of white light.
In order to provide a uniform phosphor layer, a method of dispersing charged phosphor particles in an electrolyte and forming a phosphor layer having a relatively uniform thickness in a desired region using electrophoresis has recently been used. A conductive film may be formed on a surface of an LED chip in order to define the region in which the phosphor layer is formed using electrophoresis. However, such a conductive film may deteriorate light extraction efficiency. Furthermore, the phosphor layer formed by electrophoresis may have relatively low mechanical strength, and thus the phosphor layer may be easily damaged.